overview

Pixies, also known as Cornish Pixies, are small, mischief-making, bright blue magical beasts, native to Cornwall, England. They are about eight inches tall. Pixies can fly and are known for their chaotic flight patterns. They enjoy lifting people by their ears and placing them atop trees and buildings, which makes these tiny creatures seem incredibly strong. They are also capable of stealing things. Pixies make squeaky noises that can only be heard by other Pixies. Their voices are described as “so shrill it was like listening to a lot of arguing budgies.” Unlike fairies, which lay eggs, pixies give birth to living young. Pixies are considered clever and cunning, able to outwit many inexperienced witches and wizards, while fairies are more vain and less aggressive.

History

• In Cornwall, sometime in the 17th century, a witch named Dymphna Furmage, who was on holiday break, was abducted by pixies. This attack left her afraid of pixies for her entire life, and she eventually begged the British Ministry of Magic to eradicate pixies as a species. Her request was declined. The Ministry did not consider Pixies to be a sufficient threat to warrant eradication. Pixies are troublesome; however, they are not inherently evil. In the 80s at Hogwarts, students would participate in pixie spotting. This involved searching for and observing pixies in areas where they were known to gather, such as the Hogwarts grounds or other surrounding areas. Hogwarts students also learn how to handle pixies in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Students learn both practical and theoretical techniques for handling the creatures.
• In 1992, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart brought a group of “freshly caught” Cornish pixies to his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He spoke about how they were devilishly tricky creatures, and he thought that would make them a great lesson topic. After letting the pixies out of their cage, he quickly lost control of them. He attempted to round them up with a made-up spell, using the unknown incantation “Peskipiksi Pesternomi." Obviously, the spell didn’t work because Lockhart had made the charm up himself, along with many other of his claims. The pixies took second-year Neville Longbottom by the ears and lifted him to the height of the classroom roof. He tried to beat them off with his textbooks, but they had already hung him from the ceiling. Lockhart cowardly ran out of the room, leaving the task of containing the pixies up to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Luckily, Hermione used the Freezing Charm on the pixies and stopped the chaos. The pixies then returned to their cage.
• In the 1993-1994 school year, a water well on the grounds of Hogwarts became infested with a stream of pixies. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were given the job of removing the pixies by using the Tickling Charm.
• During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry found a cage full of Cornish Pixies while he was searching the Room of Requirement, looking for Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem.

Credits/References

Written by Simone Winter
Base code by Andrew Sutherland, edited by Iselin Merilä and Desmond Gray.